Poland
Spain vs Poland – Euro 2020 Group E Preview, H2H, Team News, Players to Watch & Predicted Line-ups
Spain and Poland go head-to-head at the Estadio de La Cartuja in the second round of the Euro 2020 group stage fixtures on Saturday night. The Spaniards exchanged a record-breaking 830 passes in their Euro 2020 curtain-raiser but failed to find the back of the net against Sweden. Despite a sluggish start to their Euro 2020 journey, Poland will be looking to dwell on their impressive major tournament record on Spanish soil. They suffered just one loss in eight matches in Spain (W3, D3) en route to finishing third at the 1982 World Cup. Note: You can watch all Euro 2020 games via live streaming. Spain Preview Despite setting a European Championships record for having 81.1% possession of the ball against Sweden, Spain could only manage a bore draw in their Group E opener. The Spaniards h...
Euro 2020: Spain boss rues missed chances but defends game plan
Spain coach Luis Enrique rued missed chances from his side in their 0-0 European Championship draw with Sweden on Monday, insisting he will not be changing his style of play despite getting off to a disappointing start in the tournament. It was a familiar story for Spain, who enjoyed 85 per cent possession in Seville, the highest figure for a team in a European Championship fixture since 1980 when Opta started recording the data. “We were by far the better team, the opposition tried to hang back, we completely controlled the game and tried to generate as many chances as possible,” Luis Enrique told a news conference. “We were up against a physically strong team. We did have the chances to win the game. What went wrong was that we did not take these chances.” The Spain coach was also keen t...
All Euro 2020 nation crests redesigned, for the modern era
National team crests are just different from their club counterparts. Both are an integral part of the team’s history, and both are definitely tattooed on many of the fans. However, in the past decade or so, most national team crests have already been updated and bought into the modern era of design. National team crests also seem to be simpler and have less elements than their club counterparts. That being said, I did find some ways to further simplify them. In some cases through minor changes without removing elements. It was also interesting to note how similar some of the crests can be to each other. For example Scotland, Netherlands & Wales all feature a roaring majestic lion or dragon. Or how Sweden and Finland, both nordic countries, feature their flags on a shield. I have tried...
Cocaine worth $8.2m found in Poland banana shipment
Polish police on Friday announced the seizing of 160 kilograms (350 pounds) of cocaine hidden inside several shipments of bananas delivered to a branch of the French retail chain, Carrefour. Carrefour Polska said its employees had found “suspicious packages in a fresh delivery of bananas” on Thursday in central Warsaw. “They immediately notified the police, who quickly secured the consignment and launched an investigation, which is currently ongoing. Our chain is fully cooperating with investigators,” Carrefour Polska was quoted as saying by Poland’s PAP news agency. A police video published on Twitter showed green-coloured packages containing the cocaine hidden in cardboard boxes of bananas. Police, who valued the seizure at more than 6.7 million euros ($8.2 million), did not say where th...
Euro 2020: Manchester City and Bayern Munich forwards could decide fate of Group E
We’re now less than a week away from the first whistle of Euro 2020, and the excitement is getting difficult to contain. Group E is one of the more open groups in the tournament. Spain will be the favourites but come into the competition following three early exits in a row. Hoping to cause an upset are Poland, Sweden, and Slovakia, who have some secret weapons of their own. Here is one player from each of those nations who could make an impact this summer. Poland – Robert Lewandowski Lewandowski enters the tournament in the form of his life It’s no secret who Poland’s main man is. Robert Lewandowski is one of the most prolific forwards of the modern era and has elevated himself to new heights in the last two seasons, scoring 103 goals in 87 appearances. The 32-year-old is one of the front...
Euro 2020: Gareth Southgate invites Bukayo Saka, 24 others
Gareth Southgate hit back at the critics after selecting Trent Alexander-Arnold for England’s Euro 2020 squad as the Three Lions boss admitted Harry Maguire is a doubt for the opener against Croatia. Alexander-Arnold had to endure a nervous wait before learning he had made the cut after spending much of the season out of favour with Southgate. The 22-year-old was left out of Southgate’s England squad for their World Cup qualifiers in March. But Alexander-Arnold’s strong end to the season with Liverpool convinced Southgate to restore the right-back to his squad. Alexander-Arnold responded to his selection by tweeting: “Always believe in yourself. Silence the doubters.” Irritated by the inaccurate pre-announcement reports that he would drop Alexander-Arnold, Southgate insisted he never lost ...
Belarus’s forced landing of Lithuania-bound Ryanair plane sparks outrage
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania to land on Sunday in Minsk, where a Belarusian opposition activist on board was detained, prompting international condemnation. EU member Lithuania urged the European Union and NATO to respond, Germany called for an immediate explanation and Poland’s prime minister called it a “reprehensible act of state terrorism”. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said Belarus’s action was “utterly unacceptable”. The aircraft, flying from Athens to Vilnius, had almost reached Lithuania when it changed direction and was escorted to Minsk, the Belarusian capital, after reports that it had explosives on board, according to an online flight tracker and BelTA state news agency. Belarusian law e...
Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona stars could beat Lewandowski for 2021 Ballon D’Or
The Ballon d’Or is arguably the most prestigious individual award in modern football, celebrating the beautiful game’s best player from the previous year. Now it is worth noting that the Ballon d’Or is not the be-all-and-end-all of football. It’s often biased towards those who shine in the Champions League. Media hype, big moments, and trophies won usually take precedence in the voting over individual performances. In fact, all Ballon dOr winners since 2007 has either won the Champions League or been the competition’s top goalscorer, and all since 2007 have reached at least the semi-finals stage. With no obvious standout, however, this summer’s international tournaments could be decisive. Lionel Messi and co. will compete in the Copa America, while Europe’s finest battle it out at the Euro...
England’s real test: Can Kane and Sterling lead them to a win over Poland?
England and Poland will square off at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday in an exciting World Cup qualifier. Authors of a blistering start to their Group I adventure, England will be looking to improve their impressive international record against weakened Poland. The Three Lions have won 11 of their 19 showdowns against this opponent (D7, L1), with their lone defeat across that spread of encounters dating back to June 1973. Severely crippled by the absence of their headline performer Robert Lewandowski, the visitors will need to stay compact to avoid defeat here. As ever, Bayern Munich star has carried much of the scoring burden by himself, notably scoring nine goals in his last nine starts for the national team. England Preview Impressively, 19 consecutive home victories in World Cup/Euro qual...
5 games to watch during the international break
It’s international break time, much to the dismay of fantasy football players all around the world. The international break tends to divide opinion. There are some who love watching their national side, while others just can’t wait for club football to return. If you’re on the latter side of that debate, maybe these games are something you ought to be keeping an eye on. Here are five games to watch over the international break. Belgium vs Wales (Wednesday 24th March, 19:45 GMT) Wales pulled off one of the shocks of the tournament, knocking out Belgium World Cup qualifying in Europe is tougher than it seems. While it feels like the usual suspects make it through with ease every time, there’s always potential for an upset. There are ten qualifying groups, and only the group winners gain auto...
Heavyweight Clash Between Portugal And France Highlight Most Intriguing Nations League Matches to Watch This Weekend
With all football across the globe at a halt due to the international break, the UEFA Nations League will take center stage in Europe as Matchday five starts this weekend, with all fixtures being played between Saturday and Sunday, and you can live stream all Nations League using the sites here. It will be a rematch of the Euro 2016 Final when Portugal host France, but it’s still unknown if Cristiano Ronaldo will be back for his huge clash after picking up an ankle injury with Juventus last weekend. Germany meanwhile will be looking for a much-needed victory after drawing three of their first four matches as they face a young and hungry Ukraine side. Also in Group 4A, Spain takes on Switzerland. Over to Sunday, Poland will look to stay atop their group when they play Italy, who are cu...
Poland puts into effect new restrictions on abortion
Poland’s government put into effect on Wednesday a constitutional court decision banning terminations of pregnancies with foetal defects, as conservative policies increasingly take root in one of Europe’s most devout Catholic countries. The Oct. 22 ruling had led to weeks of massive protests, forcing the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government to delay its implementation. Small protests gathered late on Wednesday following an announcement PiS would take the official step to enforce the decision imminently, and abortion rights activists announced more would take place on Thursday. Abortion has emerged as one of the most divisive issues since PiS took power in 2015, promising poorer, older and less educated Poles a return to a traditional society mixed with generous welfare policies. Th...